Five Years Later
by Mizz Blackshaw
Summary: It has been five years since the Jinnouchi clan has reunited, so Natsuki takes it upon herself to bring them all together again. However, it's easier said than done when the past comes back to haunt Wabisuke, a new threat comes to Oz, and the struggle itself makes everything worse. Trigger Warning: suicidal tendencies.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It's been five years since the explosion. Five years since we got our mountains back. But I've only spent two years in his arms, his protection. After looking after the family and keeping them together, I was more than happy to have him to help me. When we came back from the funeral/birthday party, the ride home on the train was filled with stories. He laughed when I told him I thought the plan would work, and that everyone believed he was my fiancé.

"That 'back story' wasn't even made up. It was clearly Wabisuke's!" He laughed. "But it would've worked if it was more original."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. "What would you have said?"

"Runner-up in being Japan's representative for the math Olympics." He said calmly.

"So now you're bragging about it?"

His smile softened. "Well, after spending time with you all made me realize that some things are worth celebrating."

I gave him what was supposed to be a pat on the knee, but turned into a seductive squeeze. "It doesn't have to be the end." It was the sentence that really drove the wedge between us. It was the gesture that killed all chances at the time. He looked at me with confusion while I smiled like an idiot. The next hour and a half was quiet.

* * *

"I really had a nice time." Kenji told me when we got to my stop.

"Me too." I said. As if the first time wasn't bad enough, I squeezed his shoulder and leaned in for a goodbye kiss. When he didn't give it to me, I kissed his cheek anyway, said goodbye, and practically ran home.

As awkward as it sounded, it was the best feeling ever. Of all the guys I've dated, I've never had the adrenaline rush, the butterflies, or anything. It was all a big guessing game or a riddle I desperately wanted to know the answer to. So I waited. I waited until the day he asked me to be his girlfriend. I had to turn down a few guys in between, but I was sure it was worth it. I waited for the day he holds my hand. But that day didn't come until three years later.

We were in the main computer lab at Tokyo U. He was just finished printing up his homework when I was making copies. "I thought we'd never see each other again." I said.

"It's nice to see you." He agreed. "How are things out in the country?"

"I'm not sure." I smiled. The Jinnouchis haven't come together for years. "I hope we do soon. I never met Kazuma's sister yet."

He picked up his papers. "It's all yours."

"Thanks." I put my book in the scanner. "So what are you doing now?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I have a little free time to study."

"Do you want to get food?"

The moment I asked, he tensed up. Did I ask the wrong thing? It took a few seconds before he said "I'd love to." But I heard "I love you."

"What?" I blushed. I was even more embarrassed when he repeated himself. "Well, where should we go?"

We ended up spending more than lunch together. After class, we stayed in the library, talking about our hopes and dreams. "I don't really know what's left for me after this." He said. "A lot of people think I'm going to go into teaching, but I don't know."

"If you do, that'll be cool!" I said, touching his hand. "Then we can teach a class together."

"You're studying education too?"

"What can I say? I love kids." I laughed. "I actually started working at my old elementary school."

As time went on, we started going deeper into the conversation. We knew we were in too deep when he mentioned what happened three years ago. He said he wondered what it would be like if Sakuma went with me instead of him. I told him that Granny wouldn't have liked him as much.

"You're the one she saw potential in. Even if it was a lie, she still sees you as my awesome boyfriend."

He started blushing. "That means a lot." Then he actually took my hands and held them for a while. His mouth opened to say something but he closed it. He was about to retreat but then he said "Natsuki, I… I really…"

"What?" I asked.

He sighed and tried again. "It would be easier to keep my promise if I was your boyfriend. So…can I be your boyfriend?"

"Yes."

He moved one hand into my hair and rested it behind my head. He moved in and kissed me. His lips were tough as he smashed his face into mine: his first kiss.

"Let's try it like this." I brushed my lips on his and puckered slightly. It was the gentlest kiss. "Just relax."

He tried it for himself, and was surprisingly a quick learner. His hand caressed my thigh in the best way. When we pulled away, he asked "How was that?"

"Much better."

* * *

Summer break was finally here and we were going out to the countryside. Just like our trip last time, we met with Aunt Noriko and Aunt Yumi first. "We actually got to the train on time!" Yumi laughed. Last time they missed the bus in Ueda that they were supposed to be on, so they were coincidentally on the same bus we were on. This time, she was with Noriko, which was much better for them.

Instead of holding a baby, she held little Kyohei's hand. Next to him was Yuhei who stayed glued to his phone instead of his DS screen. Ryohei was actually with us unlike last time when he was on the baseball field. "It's been a while!" He said. "Kenji, I don't think we've met officially."

"It's nice to meet you." Kenji shook his hand.

"Natsuki!" Aunt Noriko called as Mao waved. Shingo, on the other hand, was taking pictures on his phone.

"Hey! Kenji's back!" Shingo took his picture. I was really shocked to hear his voice changing. But what did I expect from a twelve-year-old?

"It's nice to see you again." Kenji said.

"I got a present for you." Mao said, reaching into her backpack. "It's for your birthday." She handed me a simple chain necklace with a charm of a water droplet. It was so vivid and blue.

"I love it! Thank you." I put it on right away.

We stepped on the train and took our seats in the back. "Should we be going back?" Ryohei asked. "It's not the same without Granny."

"Aunt Mariko still lives there." I said. "And it's nice to gather and meet up like old times. It's what Granny would've wanted."

"Besides," Aunt Noriko added, "the place is looking great now that all the repairs have been fixed."

Of course no one knows that I'm the one who planned everything. No, it's not nice to lie and manipulate your family. In a way, the good reason cancels out the bad method. It's been five years since we met up and no one was going to make plans otherwise.

The whole trip, Ryohei and Yumi have been going on and on, catching us up with everything that we missed. He told us about his championship, the camp councilor years at baseball camp, his internship at so many companies, and his business degree at Tokyo U. She told us about the kids' school, how Yuhei was now a teenager, her new found love for crochet and parents night, and her favorite shows. The two literally did most if not all the talking on our two hour trip.

The only thing to break their streak was meeting up with Nana. She held Kana's hand with one and had the other scooped under her stomach. "Long time, no see!" She waved.

"Nana!" I exclaimed. "Nice to see you!" I didn't know how to address the obvious pregnancy, so I just said "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." She said. "We finally did it. We've been trying for years."

Inside, Kazuma and his sister, Matsuyo, were in the TV room. Matsuyo was watching the Ueda baseball championships while Kazuma was battling someone on Oz, probably not giving the opponent mercy. "Is he winning?" She asked, pointing to the pitcher.

"No." He answered after a quick glance.

"Him?"

"No, that team is losing."

"This is boring." She pouted. "Can I play that?"

Kazuma didn't answer.

The little girl went up to his ear and asked louder. "Can I play?"

"Matsuyo!" Kazuma pushed her down and kept battling.

"Mean!" She jumped in place.

Kazuma typed a bit before slamming his hands down. "No, what's mean is distracting me and making me lose my game."

She shrugged. "Too bad. Can I play now?"

He placed the laptop on the table. Then, he grabbed her arms and wrestled her to the ground. His sister laughed the whole time so she wasn't in any danger.

"Hi guys!" I waved causing Kazuma to stop.

"Hey." He greeted with his deep voice. When he stood up, my chin went from being next to my chest to up towards the ceiling. I immediately felt how old I was.

"Wow…" Kenji commented. "You're even taller than me!" He chuckled.

"Yeah…" He flipped his long hair with just a flick of the neck. "It happened over night." Something was definitely different about him besides the physical appearance. He was still his too-cool-for-school self but he had this subtle glow to him. He smiled a bit more in the few minutes than I've ever seen.

"All the girls at school must love the change." I joked. I was really taking a shot in the dark, but instantly, a tiny smirk sprouted as he looked away. "Oh my gosh! Really?"

"So I see Kenji's back." He changed the subject. "How are you?"

"Great." He answered. "It's nice to see you all again." He looked down at Matsuyo who was looking away the whole time. She made sure not to even look in our direction. "Is that your sister?"

"Yeah." He turned towards her. "Matsuyo, say hi."

"Hi." She said quickly, not moving.

"This is your cousin, Natsuki, remember?" He asked.

She glanced at me and back at what she was doing.

"So where's everyone else?" I finally asked.

* * *

"The dinner table doesn't look the same without the whole family." Mariko said as they all sat to dinner.

"Let's not think that way." Riichi said. "In a way, we're all here."

With that, everyone felt relaxed enough to catch each other up. But once someone mentioned Wabisuke, I got quiet. I know I invited him. He even said he got the message, but he wasn't here with us.

"I wonder what he's up to." Mansuke said.

"Who cares?" Naomi scoffed. "I'm just glad he helped clean up his miss."

"Yeah, now you can do all of your Oz dating!" Kiyomi laughed.

"Well yeah." She crossed her arms. "I met someone there." His name was Ryo: head of some major corporation and he has one teenaged son. He was very rich and, from his picture, very good looking.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Aunt Mariko said, referring to Wabisuke.

"He probably won't show up for another ten years." Rika shook her head.

"So you're saying that he was actually here?" Ryohei gasped. "Is there anything else I've missed?" He shot a look at Yumi, but she just rolled her eyes. Apparently with all the catching up, Yumi neglected to tell him the whole truth of what happened five years ago.

"He doesn't know about Lovemachine?" Kenji asked.

"Like the song?"

"Hey, I don't know that much about it. How would I explain it to him?" Yumi defended.

"He was an AI that ate other avatars and tried to kill us all." Yuhei said.

"That all happened during my championship? And I'm just finding out about it now?"

"Would you rather us tell you in the middle of your game?" Katsuhiko asked.

He shrugged. "I guess not. But there were five years in between then and now!"

"And it was cool when King Kazma went and punched him out!" Shingo exclaimed.

"Really?" Ryohei smiled at Kazuma. "You saved the world?"

"Boy did he!" Mansuke stood up. This time we welcomed the war story since we've never heard it retold.

* * *

"Uncle, we missed you at dinner tonight." I called. "So I was just wondering if you got in alright. Call me back. Bye!" I took a deep breath, waiting for his call.

"Is he coming?" Kenji asked.

"I don't know." I sighed. "He never called."

"Maybe he's been busy."

"Too busy to see his family?" He was silent. "Alright then." I tried calling again but it went straight to voicemail. "He's probably on the plane right now and he can't call anyone."

"Yeah."

"I just hope he comes back. He left so quickly when it was all over." I told him. Before I could say anything else, my phone rang. "Hello? Uncle?"

"Natsuki…" He said. He sounded like he was in distress. "I might be a little late…"

"You're already late. What's going on?"

There was a pause with some ruffling noises in the background. "I'll tell you later. I missed my bus, so I'm going to rent a car. Well, first I need to find a place that would rent out to me this late. I'll be there soon."

It turns out that he was getting a lot of negativity. From the moment he got on the plane, all of the Japanese natives were giving him strange looks. He was barely given any service even if he asked. He was avoided at all cost. It was until he stepped foot in the country when someone finally said something. "He's the one." He hurried out immediately to the nearest bus stop. But it didn't stop there.

Uncle Wabisuke got on and went to the back. Passengers got on, gave evil stares, and began whispering. He ended up getting off at the next stop and waiting for the next bus to take him into the countryside.

"Hey! That's the guy who made Lovemachine!" A guy yelled. "We all could've died because of you!"

"No, you don't understand…" He said, but they didn't listen.

"My aunt passed out from pure exhaustion and the ambulance was too tied up to take care of her!" One woman shouted. "And they were busy with nothing!" Wabisuke backed away and decided to stay out of the public eye.

* * *

"Natsuki, I'm back." Uncle Wabisuke said. It was in the middle of the evening when everything was winding down.

"Uncle, you made it!" I hugged him. "How was your trip?"

"It…could've been better."

The rest of the family approached slowly. Aunt Mariko was the first to speak up after a long stream of silence. "You finally decided to show up." She said. It was hard to tell if it was a good thing or a bad one. "We thought we'd never see you for another five years." Then she smiled. "Have you eaten yet?"

Uncle Wabisuke looked at the others for signs of approval. We all looked at Aunt Mariko as she insisted that he sit down. "Thank you." He said.

Kiyomi was the first to hand him a plate and rice. Nana gave him some water and sake. He said his thanks and got to eating. Naomi and Rika left abruptly one after the other. I slipped away as everyone started to converse. I ended up following them to the other side of the house. Naomi had already lit a cigarette as Rika was complaining loudly.

"I can't believe we're just going to accept him like that." Rika said. "It's like everything we went through in the past fifteen years has nothing to do with anything!"

"I know. It's not like he won't do it again." Naomi took a puff. "And he thinks it's a good idea to come back here?"

I took a deep breath and stepped outside. "He's changed, Aunt Naomi." Right after I said it, I wanted to take it back.

"I know you'd say that now, but you don't know him the way we do." She said. I wanted to say something against it, but she kept going. "He's always been so secretive, and the minute he gets caught, he gets all evasive and pretends that he's the victim, that nothing's his fault."

"It really is the same thing every time." Rika said. "We practically grew up together. I can guarantee that nothing is going to change with that man."

"Maybe, but after all that happened, who can say?" I shrugged. "He could be trying to clear the air."

Meanwhile, Shota was drinking a bottle of beer as he walked around outside. Once he saw Kenji, he called out "Hey, Math Nerd!"

He looked around, waiting to see if it was a good idea to go out. When he did, Shota welcomed him and asked if he wanted a drink. He took it with pleasure. "So what are you doing here out here?"

"There's not much else to do." He took a gulp. "So…you're Natsuki's fiancé for real?"

"Fiancé? No! We're just…going out." He smiled.

"Figures." The both were quiet as they enjoyed their beer. "Granny really saw potential in you. Do you feel the pressure?"

"Probably as much pressure as defeating Lovemachine!" They laughed. "But it's something I'm proud of."

He nodded. "Granny's eyes never lie."

They were silent again. "I think about her a lot." Kenji admitted. "There aren't a lot of people in my life who tell me that they believe in me. At least they don't do it the way she does. The night before she passed, we played Hanafuda. Our wager was that if she won, I'd have to take care of Natsuki. Of course, she won very quickly! Even if I said I might not be able to do it, she believed in me anyways."

Shota was quiet. Kenji told me that he could hear his breath getting heavier. "I wonder if she knew."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. She told you that the night before she died, she wrote that letter, and what if she asked Wabisuke to come back?" He took a long swig. "It's just not fair…"

Kenji didn't reply. He wouldn't know how to. Instead, he shrugged and took a drink.

"I'll be honest with you. I didn't like you coming over at first."

He let out a breath in laughter. "Really?"

"Well, you know!" He nudged his shoulder. "I thought you were just after one thing, but you proved that you could be a real good addition to the family."

He smiled. "So that means I finally get your blessings to date your cousin?"

"I mean I wouldn't want just some weirdo doing it!" They laughed. "But really, you're alright, Kenji."

It was probably the only time he'd hear it from Shota, so Kenji didn't say anything in fear of ruining it.

* * *

The night was winding down. Everyone was getting ready for bed except for Shingo, Mao, and Yuhei, who were all up and battling on Oz. The women just finished cleaning the kitchen, while the men were turning off the TV and getting returning to their rooms. I was about to go to sleep, but then I noticed Uncle Wabisuke on the phone.

"I did not sign off on it." He said through gritted teeth. "No, it is not my responsibility anymore. Don't call this number again." He hung up and chucked it down the hill.

"Uncle?" I stepped outside. He turned around, startled. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head with a small smirk on his face. "Lovemachine was brought up at a wrong time. It wasn't ready to be out in Oz."

I sat down on the ledge of the house, looking out to where I can see the city lights. They were always so beautiful from up here. "Everyone's mad at you because of Lovemachine?"

"They're blaming the wrong person." He sighed.

"What? Why" I asked, bringing my knees closer to me. "It's not like you told it what to do."

He slowly nodded "That's right." His fists clinched. "Things haven't been easy these last few years. I had to testify on several occasions, I constantly had to defend myself, I mostly treated like a criminal even though I keep saying that I'm innocent. Then I come here and things are just as bad." He sat down next to me. "It seems like you're the only one that understands."

We both looked at the lights. Some of them went off and some came on. One of us saw the beauty in the city. The other saw how scary it could be.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when we heard the noise. I didn't think it was anything important, so I tried to go back to sleep. But Kenji shot up quickly. He stepped outside the room and looked around. "Natsuki, wake up." He said in an urgent whisper. "Natsuki."

I got up as quickly as I could and went out with him. "What's going on?"

"I saw your Uncle Wabisuke head out this way." He said. We followed him out of the house. When we finally caught up to Wabisuke, he was taking something out of Shota's police car.

"What is it?" I asked Kenji.

Uncle closed the door and walked down the steps. We were going to follow him until I stopped to notice that the glove box was wide open. "He…took his gun!"

"What?" Kenji turned around and saw for himself.

"Shota usually has it locked in there in case of emergencies." We watched Uncle Wabisuke go deeper into the trees. "Hurry!"

"Natsuki, it might not be a good idea to…"

"He might be in trouble!" I raced off after my uncle whether or not Kenji went with me. "Uncle Wabisuke!" I called after him. But he never stopped going into the woods.

"Stop!" Kenji shouted.

Wabisuke stood still. He took the gun a brought it closer to his mouth. "NO!" I screamed and grabbed the nearest rock, throwing it hard and quick to his ear.

"Ow! Dammit!" He dropped the gun. "Natsuki, what are you doing here?"

Kenji stood in front of me with his arms out. "We can ask you the same thing."

"Please, Uncle, don't do it." I cried.

He was still. I couldn't tell if he was thinking of doing it anyways or if he was actually listening.

"I know things are rough now, but we will help you."

"You shouldn't have come out here." He told us. "You should've just left me alone. Didn't you see that I want to be left alone?"

"Why are you talking like that?" I started crying.

Kenji pushed me further back. "Wabisuke, you have to let us in so we can help. What can we do?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Then we'll have to work harder to find a solution."

Wabisuke frowned. He definitely wasn't himself. "You say that like it's simple."

"Defeating Lovemachine wasn't that simple…"

"Don't you ever say that name again!" He pointed the gun towards my boyfriend.

Kenji raised his hands in a pleading motion. "Okay. I get it. But we can move passed it. We'll think of a plan. We all will."

He shook his head and lowered the gun. "I can't believe my life is in the hands of a couple of kids."

We didn't say anything.

"I should've never come back here. Every time I do, there's nothing but trouble." He said more towards me.

"But Uncle…"

He dropped the gun at our feet and went back into the house. I stayed with Kenji, crying into his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

King Kazma's reign has lulled since the time of Lovemachine. Many challenge him for the spot as king, but none were able to come close to it. Some vowed to return and destroy him, but a few customized gadgets weren't enough to take down the king. As a result, King Kazma needed a challenge. He needed a rush.

So then entered Afterimage. He was a dark lion like creature with white lightning bolts against the left eye and right side of his torso. His mane was wild and black with a white streak on each side. He wore the traditional white martial artist pants and shoes with a black belt wrapped tightly around his waist. His signature attack was the afterimage. He'd fight using some style of kung fu and would disappear just to reappear on the other side. His opponents would lose instantly. Afterimage trained hard for the day he beat King Kazma, and as it turns out, that day came soon.

Kazuma got the alert on his phone with the message saying his challenge. He wanted to ignore it, but he didn't really have anything better, so he told him "Meet me in half an hour. I need to get my equipment ready."

"Who was on the phone?" Matsuyo asked.

He shrugged. "Some guy wants to battle me."

"I wanna see!" She smiled brightly half excited half pleading. "Can I see?"

"Sure." After all, it would be her first time.

We were at the table eating lunch as a family. It was amazing to see the table getting bigger. At the time, Ryohei was telling me that Uncle Wabisuke has been acting weird. "I saw him leave in his car this morning, like early in the morning. He hasn't made it back yet."

"Really?" I asked. "How early?"

"It had to have been around six thirty or seven."

"What were you doing up then?" Kenji asked.

He smiled and said "I was getting some exercise. This place is huge and I wanted to look around so I took a morning jog."

I rolled my eyes. There was always that one person in every family that is so perfect. Ryohei was that one. "Do you ever slow down and enjoy your vacation?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I thought I was." Then he said to Kenji "I don't like to sleep much when I'm on vacation. I get up as early as I can and go to bed as late as I can just to enjoy as much as possible."

"Sounds like the ideal plan." He said.

Kazuma shook his head in disapproval.

"I knew Kazuma would be the exact opposite!" Ryohei belted in laughter. "If Matsuyo wasn't here, he'd sleep all day!"

He combed his fingers through his hair and pushed it away from his face. "It's because of her that I want to sleep all day."

"Being a big brother isn't that easy, is it?" Kenji asked. He shook his head again.

I focused my attention outside to where Uncle Wabisuke could come in. He never did. I didn't know whether to call him or give him space. I also didn't know whether to tell someone about what happened last night or just leave it alone.

"Natsuki?"

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Mom calling. "Mom, you made it! How was your trip?"

Dad sighed heavily. "It was long, I'll tell ya!"

"Have you seen Uncle Wabisuke?" They looked at each other. "Never mind. I'll show you where to put your stuff."

* * *

The word on Kazuma's match spread quickly as everyone gathered around. Afterimage stood boldly in front of his opponent. "You should be trembling." He sent the message. King Kazma was silent.

They both got into their stance until the announcer shouted "Fight!"

Afterimage started straight with his signature attack. He lunged first and created an after image to appear behind him. But King Kazma was quick enough to block and counter with a kick. Afterimage vanished again, throwing King Kazma off. He managed to throw a punch at the king and kick him out of the way.

"Is it hard?" Matsuyo asked.

"Just end it already." Mao said. "You can take him!"

"Alright." Kazuma typed vigorously. And with a press of a few buttons, King Kazma gave a great roundhouse kick to finish him off. Afterimage tumbled and rolled.

K.O!

"You win this round, but I'll beat you." In that instant, he logged off.

No one said a word. They continued to stare at the screen. Eventually, Matsuyo started cheering. "You won!"

"What was that all about?" Shingo asked. "He talked a big game and didn't even show for it."

"Yeah, it was just a bunch of light tricks." Yuhei frowned.

"I don't know." Kazuma pondered. "Maybe that wasn't supposed to be a serious match."

"What do you mean?" Kenji asked.

"Afterimage is either a rookie who doesn't know how to fight or he's trying to get some information." Kazuma closed his laptop. "It's kind of hard to tell."

"Is there anything about him online? Maybe like a forum?"

Shingo's thumb searched quickly through his phone. "I found something…" He dragged through a thread. "It says Afterimage is defeating so many people left and right." He scrolled some more. "He's known for surveying his opponents first."

"So you can't give away too much already." Yuhei concluded.

"I didn't." Kazuma said.

Lost in all of the technical chit chat, Matsuyo shrugged and ran off to find Kana and Kyohei. She ran into me in the hallway, but I was too busy thinking about last night. If Wabisuke was coming back, I needed to keep the place safe. When Shota came home, I asked him about his gun.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that too." He said a little frustrated. "Why did Kenji have it?"

I looked around for answers. I didn't want to tell him Wabisuke took it. It'd get him into more trouble than he's already in. "Kenji…he was doing some heavy thinking. Like, really heavy thinking."

"What do you mean?"

I swallowed. The words tasted so bitter and salty coming up. "I mean he's really not doing so well. I thought the trip would take his mind off of things, but he's still pretty sad."

"What?!" He exclaimed. "You mean he's…"

"I don't know for sure. I just saw him with the gun last night and I made him give it back."

He put a hand on my shoulder as he grabbed his belt buckled. It was the typical cop stance. "You did the right thing for telling me."

I just gave him a nervous nod.

"Maybe we should talk to him…"

"No!" I put my hands up. "I don't think that's a good idea. He needs to be able to come to us before we come bombarding him with questions."

Shota didn't respond at first. He looked me in the eyes for the longest. I could swear he was figuring me out. He was pulling the truth right out of me. But then he said "You're probably right. But I don't want you to do anything too risky."

I nodded happily.

He went back into his car and pulled out his gun. "I guess I'll find a new place to put this."

"Thank you." As soon as he was gone, I whipped out my phone and called my uncle. "Uncle Wabisuke, how are you?"

He sighed. "It's a little rough out here."

"Then come home. Please."

Silence.

"What's the point?" He mumbled. "I'll still be treated the same way as on the street."

"No, you won't. I promise. But…can you do me a favor?"

* * *

Uncle Wabisuke stepped inside and turned on the light in the dining room. "I'm home." He said, putting a few packages on the table.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Aunt Mariko asked. She was just finished cleaning up dinner with her daughter and nieces.

He shyly grinned and opened one of them. "Dessert." It was a cake. "I have two here in case this isn't enough."

"That's so nice of you!" She said. "I'll gather everyone."

He waited nervously as the whole family came in. "What's the occasion?" Naomi asked. It was the ultimate test. If she was won over, everything would be how it should be with Wabisuke part of the family.

"I wanted to… Let's say this is my way of trying to make amends." He said. He and I both looked straight at Naomi for her reaction. She seemed apathetic at first but closed her eyes and shrugged. It was the closest we'd get to her approval.

The kids ate quickly, while the adults savored each bite and talked. "This cake is pretty good!" Kiyomi said. "Where did you get it?"

"There was a bakery open over downtown." He answered. "One of the customers coming out said how great their cakes are."

"Well, it's delicious." Noriko said. "I'll have to remember the place."

"So that's it?" Naomi asked. "We're all just going to forgive him for what happened?"

"Naomi, don't be that way." Uncle Mansuke said.

Wabisuke frowned. He refused to say anything.

"He killed Granny!"

"He saved our lives." Tasuke pointed out. "We'd be dead if he wasn't here to take down Lovemachine."

"One time." She said. "It was one time he fixed what he messed up and suddenly he's the hero?"

"Naomi, please…" Aunt Mariko started.

"He robbed us and left the country. He never even called. And he was so rude to Granny after all she's given him!" She glared right at him. "And you think cake is going to magically erase all of it?"

"No, I didn't." He answered. "It was just a start. But if you never want to forgive me, that's fine. All I want is to be a part of this family. If that's so hard, I'll leave now."

I gasped. I didn't want to blurt out, but I didn't want him to leave.

Aunt Mariko cleared her throat. "I know we shouldn't truly dismiss the past, but we have to at least acknowledge that it's behind us. I'm not thrilled about all of the things that happened and I'm certainly not joyful about the results, but I'm willing to leave everything all behind. Wabisuke's here now, and he's reaching out to his family. Granny would've wanted us to do our part."

The whole family felt a sense of pride. She was right. Why can't the past stay where it was? Why can't we just move on? But for Naomi, it was easier said than done. She looked at Rika for her response. She nodded and said "Fine." This made Naomi get up and leave the table.

Uncle Wabisuke followed her. Ryohei spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "Did he…really kill Granny?" He asked. "I thought she passed away because of her heart."

"She did." Riichi said. "But because Lovemachine was causing so much chaos, Uncle Mansaku wasn't able to access the heart monitor."

"And since he created Lovemachine, Aunt Naomi believes it's his fault…" He pieced together. "I don't know how it can be let go so easily."

"It's kind of hard, I'll admit." Shota said. "But it's what…"

"It's what Granny wanted." He replied rushed and stiffly with a forced smile. "I get it."

Here we go again. He always hid behind a smile and a good laugh. "Ryohei…" Katsuhiko said.

"You know, I'm going to take a crash course next time I miss a reunion!" He continued as if nothing was wrong. And that was his thing. He would crack a joke the moment things in his life got tense. Maybe that's how he kept moving and how he got so much farther in life. And here I am as the opposite.

Meanwhile, Naomi was shaking to get out her cigarette and lighter. When she took a long drag and blew the smoke into the air. "We're alone now." Wabisuke said. "We can talk about it like adults."

She frowned at him. "You have some nerve coming back."

"You're the only one who has a problem with me here. At least the others don't seem to care. You're so hell bent on driving me away. Why?"

"You heard what I said in there." She took another puff. "I'm not ready to forgive you yet."

"No, of course not." He said.

"You created that thing. You denied its destruction. My grandmother is dead, and no one seems to care anymore."

"We all do." He said. "She was one of the only people to accept me. Do you know where my birth mother is?" She didn't reply. "I don't either. I don't even remember her name or what she looked like. I wanted to be someone, but everyone treated me like nothing. Mariko, Mansuke, and Mansaku barely paid attention to me."

"It could've been worse. You could be a failure."

"A failure is better than nothing. At least you'll have some attention."

She agreed. "You have a point."

"There's another reason why you won't accept me, I'm sure." He motioned for a cigarette. She hesitated before giving him one. "Is there a reason you're not telling me?"

She shrugged. It was that moment where she felt she could let go of her anger. It was then the answer became clear. "I guess I just miss her."

Wabisuke looked down at his feet. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he couldn't get the words to come out. He felt the disappointed stares of everyone he cared about. All he felt was nothing. He was nothing. He stared out blankly. Naomi noticed, but she didn't care to say anything, so she left. She left him alone with his dangerous thoughts.

He started walking around with a bottle of beer.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Afterimage challenged King Kazma for another fight early that morning. The fight gathered even more people than the last. The opponent stood there was a grin and messaged "Bring me your best."

"You too." Kazuma replied. "No more games."

He zoomed forward and created his first after image. Knowing he was behind him, King Kazma targeted there with a flying kick. However, once in mid kick, he noticed Afterimage wasn't there. Before he could turn around, he was hit with a swift punch. Afterimage continued to do a light barrage attack by creating after images all around King Kazma. King Kazma tried to counter with an attack, but ended up hitting one of the fake images.

"Oh come on!" Kazuma yelled as he typed faster.

King Kazma flew into the air as the others followed him. He drove into them with punches and kicks. One by one, the Afterimages vanished. The two stood there for a second before King Kazma started the next round. He came for a kick, but Afterimage vanished again. He appeared behind him this time and punched him down.

"Oz will be mine." He messaged. "Stand down now and I won't kill you."

"Battle Paused." The screen read. "Will you continue?"

Kazuma looked at Kenji. "He wants to take over Oz."

"What?" He asked. "He can't do that. Even if you don't beat him, he has many defenses he needs to get through."

Kazuma turned back to the computer. "If he beats me, Oz maintenance won't be a problem." He clicked continue.

"Battle Continue."

King Kazma whacked Afterimage and kicked him before he hit the ground. He motioned his opponent to keep attacking, so Afterimage got up immediately and zoomed towards him fist first. Right before he could impact, he disappeared and reappeared behind him. He roundhouse kicked him, but King Kazma was able to get up and fly back with another kick.

"Damn it! This guy's everywhere!" Kazuma sighed as he got back into battle.

"You can do it!" Matsuyo cheered. "Kill him, King Kazma!"

Afterimage began another barrage attack. This time, there was more of him to beat the king. He fell down hard and fast, but King Kazma shot back up. He gave each Afterimage a good fight before finding the real one. But Afterimage had enough. He faked a punch with his left to hit him with his right. King Kazma struggled to his stance as Afterimage kicked him again. As King Kazma flew, Afterimage was on the other side to kick him again, passing him like a ball to himself. This happened until King Kazma led with a kick, but before it could impact, Afterimage grabbed it and threw him to the ground.

"K.O!" The announcer shouted. "Challenger Wins!"

Kazuma hit the table next to his laptop. "Damn it!"

They were all silent. "That was crazy." Ryohei spoke up. "How'd he do that?"

"Special coding, I'm sure." Kenji said. "There's no way a normal fighting avatar can disappear like that."

"You know what that means, right?" Ryohei asked. No one answered. "He's in the maintenance crew. I mean, he had to have access to that kind of stuff, so that's what he did."

Now their attention shifted to Kenji. "I wonder who…"

"More importantly, how do we fight back?" Kazuma pointed out. "If he's on maintenance, then he already has access to so much. He could tear down Oz way faster than Lovemachine can."

"And now with an incentive, there's no stopping him." Kenji noted.

They went quiet again. "What now?" Mao asked.

While they figured it out, I was sitting with the women of the house, drinking tea. "I'm really skeptical about the whole thing," Rika was saying, "but part of me doesn't want to fight anymore. I'm just going to sit back and wait for the moment when everyone realizes that I'm right and nothing changed."

"Well, that's not fair." I said. "I believe in Uncle."

"Yeah, we know you do." Naomi said.

"Hey!" I said as everyone laughed. "Uncle Wabisuke has made some improvements."

Naomi shook her head. "Who knows. I'm still waiting for him to do something."

"I wonder where he is now." Nana said. "I don't think I've seen him all day."

"Me either." Kiyomi said, picking up some of the mugs and unused plates. "Maybe he just needs some alone time after what happened."

"Oh, that's just great!" Naomi boomed. "Make me the bad guy."

"You're the one who interrogated him." Yumi pointed out. "And I thought Shota was the cop!"

Speaking of him, as they were putting away dishes, Shota pulled me aside. "Your boyfriend is at it again." He whispered.

"What?" I gasped and looked around in case anyone heard. "What do you mean?"

He showed me a picture of a broken beer bottle and blood all surrounded by police tape. "That's it. I'm going have to bring him in for questioning."

"What? No!"

"I know he's your boyfriend and you love him, but you can't protect him all the time. He's going through some things and we just want to get him the help he needs."

He turned to leave again, but I held onto him. "You can't. You'd be making a big mistake."

"Natsuki!" Kenji waved. I breathed heavily as he came closer.

"Shota, let me handle it one more time." I said, pushing him out of the room. As soon as he was gone and Kenji was here, I said "What's up? Let's talk over there." I pushed him in the opposite direction. "So what do you need to talk to me about?"

"I was going to tell you that there's this guy named Afterimage who says he can take down King Kazma. He's pretty good."

"Really?"

"But he's using that power to take over Oz for some reason."

Before he could finish, I had to interrupt. "Why do you sound excited?"

"Because we have a great plan to take him down! He's not as strong as Love machine, so there's no way it won't work." I followed him to the big computer. The huge motherboard wasn't there, but there was a nice PC hooked up to the monitor. "While he's busy battling King Kazma, we're going to change all of the passwords. Isn't that cool?"

I nodded. "Yeah!"

Kazuma logged in and got into position. "Where is he?"

"He's probably hiding." Yuhei said, leaning into his cellphone.

"I found him." Mao raised her DSi. "I'll lure him to you."

"I want to help too!" Matsuyo said. "Please?"

Kazuma shook his head. "Stay out of this."

"Aw come on!"

"I don't want something to happen to your avatar, okay?" She was quiet after that.

The bullet train avatar zoomed around Afterimage a few times. He disappeared and popped up behind her. He grabbed her tail and pulled a bit until she slinked out of his grasp.

"Don't bring him yet." Shingo said. "You have to play around with him a bit more."

"Okay…" She wrapped around Afterimage and squeezed tightly. When he managed to wriggle out, she jabbed him with the tail. He created another batch of after images. She zoomed around to avoid the barrage attack, but she was still caught in the crossfire. Mao smashed buttons to get her avatar to safety. "He's coming!" She raced as fast as she could, which was easy since she was a bullet train.

Right when she was being chased, she zoomed past King Kazma who stopped Afterimage with a flying fist. Mao logged off immediately as round three of King Kazma vs. Afterimage began.

"Get him!" Matsuyo cheered.

But everyone was surprised to see that Afterimage changed his look. He was still a lion with lightning bolts, but his face had changed to look like Lovemachine's. He even had the same kung fu moves. Being familiar with the moves, King Kazma was quick to counter. Afterimage did his famous image barrage attack, but King Kazma was able to deflect every single one. Then, he attacked with his own moves.

Feeling his back against the wall, Afterimage stood back and messaged "You've improved." Kazuma didn't reply. Afterimage smiled wickedly as a portion of Oz went dark.

"What did he do?" I asked.

"Hey!" Noriko exclaimed, coming in. "I was online and the whole shopping area got shut down."

We looked back at the screen and it got another degree darker. "Damn it. The dating site is down." Naomi frowned.

"He's shutting down parts of Oz!" Ryohei pieced together. "How do we stop him?"

We were all silent. "The last time we had Wabisuke take down Lovemachine's mechanics. I wonder if we can do that now." Shingo suggested.

"How?" Kazuma asked. "We don't even know who he is."

I sighed and thought about it. That's when I remembered we had a family member perfect for the job: Aunt Rika, the agent of the city government. She didn't believe me at first, but I had to show her and reexplain several times. "There's someone online shutting Oz down right now. If we want to stop him, we'd have to find the guy responsible. Do you think you can help?" I asked.

She sighed. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do." She got on her cellphone. "I'll do what I can to find his IP address, but there aren't guarantees."

"Thanks Aunt Rika!" I cheered.

Meanwhile, King Kazma had a harder time fighting as several things were shutting down. Things were getting hard to see and the after images flying at him. "You can't give up." Kenji told him.

"I can't believe this is harder all of a sudden." Kazuma said under his breath. "He's just using a bunch of cheats to stop us."

Kenji got out his phone. "I'll try to go in and change the passwords."

"What can I do?" Ryohei asked, taking out his DS.

"I don't think there's anything now." He said, writing down numbers. "Damn! He already changed them!"

Ryohei frowned. And since he couldn't help them, he tagged along with me. "What'll happen when he shuts everything down?"

I shrugged. "Things might go crazy again. All of the ambulance would get tied up, traffic for kilometers, water supply going everywhere…"

"What are we going to do?"

"You're asking me?" It's been a long time since he asked for my help. He used to be all over me when we were kids. Now, it seemed like I should be asking him. After all, he was quicker to think on his feet. "I need to find Shota. He needs to get rid of this guy so we can go on with our lovely family reunion!"

He followed me down the hall. "Natsuki, this is kind of getting out of hand…"

We stopped when we came across the TV. It was a news report about how people are not able to log in. The watered down Lovemachine made it impossible for others to log on unless they were in combat. Oz was almost completely dark.

"This again?" Mansuke shouted.

"No, it can't be." Tasuke commented. "There's no way."

"Not this again." Riichi shook his head.

"Aunt Rika went to find the IP address." I told them. "We should be able to stop him offline."

"Good. Then I can arrest him!" Shota said. "We won't have another hacking ruin our good time."

I nodded. He actually gets it. As he put on his badge and belt, I knew that he meant business. But then was also when it all went downhill. When he went down the hall, he saw Kenji with a pad and pen. The cop turned around and asked "Whatcha got there?" suspiciously.

"It's just a pen and paper." My boyfriend answered.

Right when I heard the conversation, I hurried to stop it, but they were already going to another level. "I can see that. I mean, what is it for?" He pressed.

"I need to override the system at Oz to…"

"Kenji, it's okay to admit it." He said. "Natsuki told me everything."

I froze there in the middle of the hallway. He really said it. How was Kenji going to respond? His eyes were so wide with confusion and shock. Before he could continue, I hid behind the wall.

"Told you what?"

"That you were…pretty sad." He whispered. "She told me you were doing some heavy thinking lately and that she saw you in the middle of the night with my gun."

"What?" He gasped.

I sewed my eyes shut. It wasn't long until he told him the truth. He told him that he wasn't suicidal, but Shota didn't believe him. Instead, he pretended like he did and said he was always open to talk. That's when he came to find me.

"Natsuki?" I jumped when Kenji found me. "You told him it was me?" He sounded more hurt than angry.

"But I had to." I said. "I didn't want to, but I didn't want Uncle Wabisuke to get in trouble.

The minute I said his name, his expression shifted to anger. "You'd rather lie to your cousin just so you can save your uncle?"

"Well, I didn't want something to happen to get him kicked out."

"Why are you willing to do all of that for him?" I didn't answer. "Do you think he cares so much to do the same? He left you fifteen years ago without so much as a phone call, he doesn't treat you like family when he's here, and yet you still want to jump through hoops for him. And it doesn't even matter who you take down as long as Uncle Wabisuke is happy."

"You don't even know the half of it! He's my uncle! Of course I'm going to treat him special because he's my family!"

"And he's the only one you're even paying attention to." He shook his head. "It was a lot different five years ago. You were actually at the family table with us, enjoying everyone's company. It's something I've never seen before. No one really just enjoys being with their family. It made me happy to have such a small one. Now, there are many more people than last time and you haven't even noticed."

"I get it!" I yelled now. "I'm a horrible person! But is it wrong that I worry about him? I just want everyone to be happy and wholesome like we were before."

"When before?" He asked. "From what I know, you guys never had that 'happy and wholesomeness.'"

"I was little then." He didn't say anything. "I was!"

"And that's what's clouding your judgment." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I need to get back to this… I need to concentrate."

"Kenji…" I tried to take his hand, but he snatched it away.

"Natsuki, we have the address!" Rika shouted, holding up a piece of paper.

Naomi snatched it from her and took a look. "Oh god. I know where that is."

I took the paper from her. "Great. I'm going over there."

"Alone?" They asked.

"No, because I'm going to arrest him!" Shota barked.

"I'm going too." We all turned around and saw Uncle Wabisuke.

I smiled, but it quickly faded after I remembered what Kenji said.

Aunt Mariko came in drying her hands on a towel. "Oh no. More games?" She clinched it. "Is it the same thing all over again?"

"No, it's nowhere near." Ryohei said. "By the way everyone's talking, things aren't nearly as bad."

"So we're fine?" Yumi asked. "Good!"

"Come on. We can't waste time or things will get worse." I told them before we loaded up the cop car.

* * *

King Kazma managed to kick Afterimage into the darkness. It bought him some time, which aggravated the user. Once Afterimage came back, King Kazma was gone. As a result, he lit some of the sections back up. The shopping and dating areas were back, the arcade games were running, but they weren't the same as they were before. They were all white with Afterimage's name written all over it. Everything went from fun and random to monotonous and overruled. The new light exposed King Kazma, continuing their fight.

"This is going on too long." Kazuma said. "I have to end it faster. How's that new password coming?"

Kenji shook his head. He tried to fix the numbers, but he kept making mistakes.

"Kenji?" Ryohei shook his shoulder.

"I got it." Kenji ripped out the paper and got a new one. "I need to focus."

"Here, let me buy some time so you can catch your breath." Ryohei suggested.

Kazuma rolled his eyes. "It's kind of embarrassing. I have to upgrade to defeat this guy."

Ryohei's avatar was a yellow monkey with a baseball glove on the tail. He had on a shirt with a ball and bat on it. He had a very wide smile and was very energetic. "Here's the windup! And the pitch!" He launched a ball at him. He managed to hit him, causing a chase seen. He flew quickly around the confused avatars that just logged in.

Kenji typed in the pass code, but it kept reading "error." He sighed and tried again. Each time, the same thing. The same thing kept going through his mind. "I'm going to lose my first girlfriend… I shouldn't have yelled at her."

"Kenji, come on!" Ryohei said. "We can really use your help. Besides, if you do this, she'll fall in love with you again!"

"And that's supposed to help?" Kazuma said, as he healed up.

He shrugged. "Maybe. The point is to not worry. We're going to defeat this guy, save Oz, and we'll be heroes!"

Kenji took a deep breath and tried again.

Meanwhile, we were zooming down the street with the siren blazing. Naomi was nonchalantly giving directions as Shota angrily barked about how dead this guy will be. Uncle Wabisuke was quiet, but I guess Shota said too much. "When we get there, don't arrest him straightforward." He said.

"What? Why?" He asked. "He's trying to take over Oz and…!"

"I know, and you will arrest him but not right away." He told him. "I have a plan."

"Here it is." Naomi pointed.

The person that answered the door was none other than the big CEO, Ryo. "Naomi, what a surprise!" He exclaimed with a huge smile. But it soon faded when he saw Shota. "Is there a problem, officer?"

"Yeah, we're tracking down an IP address that led us here." He answered. "I'll need to see any laptop you may own."

"And who are they?" He asked, pointing to Uncle and me.

"They're with me." Naomi answered. "They're my family." She looked at Wabisuke with a small grin. It was a victory!

Ryo was hesitant to let us in. We looked around and immediately saw the closed door. "Who's in there?" Uncle asked.

"That's my son's room." He answered. "No one is really aloud in."

"Not even you?" I asked. He didn't reply. Instead he opened the door where a kid was on his laptop: the teenage son. He had King Kazma dead on his screen.

"Junichi, can you step away from the computer?" Ryo asked.

The boy didn't move.

King Kazma came back to the attack fully charged and upgraded. The real battle was about to begin.

"Junichi, why are you doing this?" Uncle Wabisuke asked. "It's not going to accomplish anything."

Afterimage zoomed faster into a punch attack. Before he impacted King Kazma, he popped up behind him for a sneak attack. King Kazma dodged and countered with a kick. He came back fast, not giving the king any mercy.

"I know where you're coming from. I was there." Wabisuke continued. "But I'll let you know, it'll get worse from here."

King Kazma struck the moment his guard was down. He smacked Afterimage into the giant bookshelves. The avatar took some random supplies and tossed it at him. King Kazma dodged them with ease and kicked an enormous book back.

"You'll never be accepted as easily. You'll have to work even harder to earn their respect back. Just because you have Oz now doesn't mean they're all your friends. The brilliant idea will haunt you. It'll haunt you! All of those avatars you try to control aren't your servants. They're your enemies."

Afterimage stood still. King Kazma didn't move, probably confused at the next move. Then, Afterimage constructed his barrage attack. King Kazma was able to take one and throw it against the rest.

"He's getting stronger." I mumbled to myself. "No, Afterimage's getting weaker."

Shota was getting angrier by the second. He was ready to arrest. "You can go quietly now or go kicking and screaming."

Junichi typed faster. "Shut up! Why won't you let me defeat him first?"

"Because he's King Kazma." I wanted to say. But I really said "He knows your attacks. He's getting wiser."

"You can stop here, walk away, and everything will be okay. Or you can keep going, resist arrest, and wake up every morning trying to survive." Wabisuke concluded. "The point is that you don't want to get on Lovemachine's level."

"What's there to lose?" He said apathetically.

"What's there to gain?"

"Son, you have to take this down." Ryo said. "Why do you want to take over Oz?"

"Oh, so now you care?" He yelled. "Why don't you go on, get married, forget about Mom and leave me alone?"

"Is that what this is all about?" He frowned. "What makes you think you'll get away with this?" His son didn't answer. "You're getting arrested, Junichi! Don't you care?"

He stood up and faced his father. "It's better than staying here." He slammed his laptop shut and went with Shota. I was pretty shocked to see how violent his act was. Ryo looked so ashamed. Such a small family was broken even further.

* * *

When I got back home, I had to see Kenji immediately. At the time, he was trying to figure out pass codes to override the system. Without someone to change them constantly, he was able to go in quickly. "And we're done!"

"That was easy!" Shingo cheered. He took a picture of Oz slowly getting back to normal.

I tapped Kenji on the shoulder. "Can we talk?"

Nervously, he got up and followed me. "What's this about?"

"I just wanted to say that I want to still be your girlfriend. Or at least your friend. The guy who got arrested was only Kazuma's age, and it completely broke his family apart. It was only him and his dad. And I want you to be as close or as part of this family as possible." I sighed. "And if you don't want to be, that's okay too."

He stood still. My heart was knocking out of my chest. Then, he gave a slow nod and held my hands. "Thank you." We leaned in and gave each other a kiss.

* * *

The party was a huge success. I had on my morning glory yukata and greeted people left and right. It was even nice to see Uncle Wabisuke happy. And I didn't need to be next to him. I didn't have to be there. I couldn't tell if that was a mission accomplished or a lesson learned. I got what I wanted but it almost cost me everything.

I was missing everything. My little cousins were older, I had an amazing boyfriend, and there were so many new stories worth listening to. I did my best to just enjoy myself like I did before. And that meant running with the kids, dancing with my aunts, and took advice from my uncles. I hugged my parents, kissed my boyfriend, and soaked in the family I had. But most importantly, I prayed to Granny. After all, she made this all possible.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please review, comment, and share!


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